


The Bellini Incident

by Gumnut



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-01-12 06:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18441023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gumnut/pseuds/Gumnut
Summary: Kayo was going to kill him.Virgil saves Scott, but an annoying rescuee creates more and more problems.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title: The Bellini Incident  
> Part One  
> Author: Gumnut  
> Apr 2019  
> Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS  
> Rating: Teen  
> Summary: Kayo was going to kill him.  
> Word count: 3381  
> Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Virgil!whump with a side order of Scott!whump.  
> Timeline: Standalone, not Rain series.  
> Author’s note: For @soniabigcheese who threw the prompt at me, and @i-am-chidorixblossom who suggested some Virgil whump. Scott got a bit whumped, too, I’m branching out as a writer, blame @scribbles97.  
> The prompt: The character who doesn’t realize they’ve been hurt trying to see if everyone else is okay only to slowly realize that everyone is looking at them with mounting horror. Then they touch their side to find it’s wet and oh no…  
> I’m not sure I pulled it off, and this is only part one, but I hope you enjoy it anyway :D  
> Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

Bellini Construction...the wind had the sign banging against bare steel girders, an onerous clang above the howl of the weather and the whimpers of the man Scott was edging into a harness. First aid in extreme circumstances was International Rescue’s speciality, but that didn’t make it any easier for the person involved.

“Sir, we are nearly there. Please give me your arm.”

The construction worker was one of three who had been caught unawares by an unexpected storm that had swooped in on the site half an hour ago. The high-rise building was subjected to gale-force winds it hadn’t been secured for, and a lightning strike had been the final straw. Part of the structure collapsed in on itself, trapping the three men who had been making their way down. The elevator had fallen several meters. Safeties had kicked in, but the structure had destabilised and the supports holding the car bent under the strain.

International Rescue had been called and Scott had responded.

The two other men had been uninjured and were now safely aboard, but this man had broken his leg. An emergency splint and a haul up to Thunderbird One was the plan.

As with all broken bones, movement hurt like hell. Scott winced in sympathy as he secured the final buckle of the harness and began the lift up to his ‘bird. “I’m sorry, sir. I will do this as fast and as gently as I can.”

The man’s whimper as he became airborne was his only answer.

Scott had his jetpack on, but the gale was a challenge, so he hung onto the line, slowly pulling the man higher. Far above them, Thunderbird One was firing her stabilising thrusters aggressively to maintain her hover.

“Nearly there, sir.”

But the man was beyond reassurance, his expression terrified.

They had almost cleared the skeletal mass of the unfinished building when the world lit up in blinding white with an ear-bleeding bang. The man in his arms screamed and Scott’s senses whited out. The wind threw them against the building’s superstructure and through spots in his vision, Scott attempted to stabilise their ascent.

John was yelling in his ear when something rammed him from his left and everything blacked out.

-o-o-o-

Virgil gripped his ‘bird’s yoke just that little bit tighter as the man behind him demanded delivery to Port de Saint Tropez on the Mediterranean despite having been rescued in the middle of the Pacific.

“Sir, we will be landing in Sydney shortly. You may make alternate arrangements there.” At least Gordon was being polite. Virgil wasn’t really in the mood having had to listen to the rich billionaire abuse his brother for the last hour as the aquanaut had fished him off the bottom of the ocean, his luxury yacht having had an argument with a reef system. Several of his staff had died in the accident, yet he showed no remorse. Virgil was surprised his brother hadn’t decked him yet.

But then again perhaps that was more worrisome. Gordon had other ways to express his ire.

“Thunderbird Two we have an IR situation.” John. Calm, but urgent.

In the split second between this statement and the following, Virgil’s stomach twisted, his brain automatically listing off the brothers currently unaccounted for. IR situation meant IR operative down or endangered. Alan? Scott?

Kay?

“Thunderbird One is in need of emergency assistance. Contact lost.”

Tokyo. Scott was in Tokyo. Without thought, Virgil was changing his flight plan, inputting new coordinates into the nav system. The sunlight in the cockpit coasted across the decking as the great ‘bird banked into a turn towards the north. A pause for course correction and Virgil’s arm shoved the throttle to full speed.

Dick Billionaire - Virgil hadn’t bothered to remember his last name, and ‘Richard’ was just too easy to exploit - squawked in his seat as they were all shoved backwards at the sudden acceleration.

“What the hell? Where are you taking me?”

“We have another emergency to attend to, sir. We apologise for the delay in your disembark, but it is unavoidable.” Virgil didn’t blink and didn’t look at the man.

“This is unacceptable!”

“Too bad. Gordon, could you please take Mr Billionaire down below. And sir, if you disrespect my brother one more time, I will have you ejected from my ship.”

“Your brother?”

“Get out now.”

He could feel Gordon staring at him, but his little brother did his bidding and apparently it had been enough to shut Dick up for the short term at least. The two left and Virgil turned to the hologram of John hovering above his console. “Details?”

John was frowning at him, but the situation took precedence as it should. “Scott was attending a situation at a construction site. Bellini Constructions high rise apartments in Tokyo. Storm hit and the structure partly collapsed, trapping three workers. Scott managed to free two and was handling the third when the building was struck by lightning. I have not had contact since.”

Virgil’s gut clenched. Shit. “Thunderbird One’s status?”

“I’ve slaved her to Thunderbird Five for safety. Gale force winds are an issue and she has two rescuees aboard.”

“Scott’s status?”

“Vitals steady, but he appears to be trapped amongst a tangle of girders approximately one hundred and fifty metres above the ground. One of the rescuees is with him. The rescuee has a broken leg.”

Thunderbird Two shot over Indonesia, the blue sea interspersed by tropical green and white weather systems as they breached the equator.

“Weather conditions are still poor. Caution is recommended.” Virgil could hear the tension in John’s voice, despite its calm. One brother out of contact and sending another into the same situation definitely sat on John’s reasons to be tense list.

“FAB, Thunderbird Five.”

Guam passed beneath them as they skirted the Philippine Sea. Gordon returned to the cockpit and took up his seat quietly. John briefed him equally as calmly and his younger brother swore. John threw up a hologram of the construction site showing Scott’s location, wind direction and speed, and Thunderbird One.

Virgil grit his teeth.

Ten minutes later Thunderbird Two hit Japanese air space and John was answering their queries in flawless Japanese. Virgil cut speed as they approached the storm whipping across Tokyo and grounding the majority of their air traffic. His ‘bird shook a little and then stabilised, her mass used to her advantage. He kicked in VTOL as they approached the site, killing off unneeded speed and coming to a hover a safe distance above the damaged building.

“Any response from Scott?”

“Nothing.” John’s voice was worried. “Vitals still strong.”

Unconscious or broken comms. One or the other. “I’m going down with the suit. Gordon, keep her in the air and stable. I have no wish to play George of the Jungle with any of those pylons.”

Gordon frowned. “George who?”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Just keep her steady.”

“FAB.”

He could have taken the rescue rig, but the less dangling bits below his ‘bird, the better, so he stashed two spare harnesses, donned his exosuit and shot a zipline at a steep angle from the belly of his ‘bird. Carabiner engaged, he jumped.

It was hard and it was fast. But it had to be. The wind tore at him and it had started raining in sheets. His uniform was waterproof, but he had to work partly on instruments to see where the hell he was going and the metal girders were slick when he hit them, his boots sliding despite their specialised grip.

Scott and the rescuee were amongst a tangle of broken girders at the centre of the structure. John shot him integrity readouts and stress factors as he moved. The suit made it awkward and the ground was so far below in the falling rain, he couldn’t see it.

This could possibly be a good thing. One hundred and fifty metres was no small drop.

A cable hung from Thunderbird One and disappeared into a pile of wreckage to his right. It was a haunting sight.

C’mon, Scott, be okay.

It was more a demand than a plea.

The pile of girders was a nasty game of pickup sticks. Virgil was able to move them, but had little option for footing or angle and he was desperate to not cause any further collapse. John reassured him that there was no one below the structure, but it still seemed reckless to just let the spans of metal fall from this height, but then he had no real choice in the matter.

Five girders in and he found his brother first.

He was shoved up against a half-built wall by a single girder, pinning him there by the thruster pack on his back.

It was the only thing preventing the man from falling into the vast emptiness below.

Shit.

“Scott, can you hear me?” No response. “Scott!”

Nothing.

Damn.

Getting there to reach him was going to be a challenge. Calculations and a check with John...Virgil fired a grapple gun across the gap from where he was standing to the stable support on the other side. Securing it, he disengaged his support line to TB2 and clipped himself to the new line.

Gordon grumbled in his ear.

“I’ll be fine, Gordon. Besides, I have little choice.”

More muttering, which he ignored.

Releasing his arms from the suit, he let it take his weight and pulled himself across the gap.

The rain decided to increase and completely wash out his vision.

Goddamnit.

Reaching his brother, he linked in with the man’s harness to prevent him from falling and, with that, a small sigh of relief slipped between his teeth.

But still there was no response from Scott. “C’mon, Scott, give me a sign here.”

Nothing. He still hung limp.

Virgil wrapped his arms around his brother, bringing his helmeted head to lie on his shoulder, as he reached around to disengage the flight pack. A snap of fastenings and he let the pack drop, taking Scott’s weight in his arms. “Scott?”

Nothing.

“Gordon, I need an ascent line down here.”

“FAB.”

Thunderbird Two shifted position, his ‘bird moving to a hover far above Virgil. A line fed slowly down, wavering in the wind. “You’re going to have to catch it, Virg. I can’t get her any closer without a risk of influencing the structure.”

“I know.” The gale was definitely having its way and the rain brought his vision down to almost nothing. It took several attempts to grab the weighted line. Scott continued to hang limp in his grasp. God, he wished his brother would wake up. There was zero ability to do a medical assessment in these conditions. He had to get Scott up to TB2 and then return for the other man.

The wind gusted and spun him around. Damnit.

It took two attempts to fasten the line to his harness, but finally he was able to signal Gordon to pull them up. “I’m going to need you to secure Scott in the medbay. Ask John to slave TB2 to Thunderbird Five for the shortest time possible. I don’t trust these winds at all.”

As if to prove his point, a gust blew up and whipped them around, sending the brothers into a spin. A second gust grabbed them and threw them both side-on into a damaged girder. Virgil curled around his brother protecting him from hitting the jagged chunk of metal. Pain shot up his left side and he swore. Great, more bruises. He still hadn’t cleared up the last batch from the earthquake in New Zealand. Kay was going to glare at him again.

He pushed off from the structure and they continued their ascent. Being swallowed whole by his ‘bird was the most beautiful feeling. As the hatch closed beneath him, Gordon rushed up and helped him lower Scott and himself to the deck.

He handed his older brother gently over to his younger brother and the hover stretcher following behind him. “Check him out. Keep me updated.” Virgil grit his teeth, man, his side hurt. Damn wind. “Gotta go back down and grab the rescuee.”

With that, he opened the bay doors again, and securing himself, began another descent back down to the construction site.

-o-o-o-

The sudden engagement of powerful rocket thrusters woke Scott Tracy.

The sound was so sudden, so abrupt, he startled awake and sat up before he realised where he was. The world spun in circles to thank him. He clutched his head and found himself at war with his stomach.

Ugh.

Bile rose in his throat, its bitter taste foul. Shit.

“Don’t you be throwing up in here, the place stinks enough already.”

Huh?

Even with his eyes closed he had enough information to identify TB2’s infirmary. But who the hell was that?

He won the battle with his stomach, swallowing forcibly, but his head continued to pound and the world was anything but steady. Despite this, he squinted and opened his eyes.

Oh god.

A basin was shoved into his hands and he lost the war.

His head hated him even more, but at least his stomach shut up.

“Great. Now it really stinks. This is bloody outrageous. I could be feet up, breathing French air, but no, I get dragged halfway across the bloody planet stuck in this tin can with whiner and vomit boy.” Another voice said something unintelligible. “I swear I’m going to sue International Rescue to its knees.”

That had Scott paying attention despite his throbbing head. He opened his mouth to voice a retort, but was interrupted by a familiar voice on comms.

“Scott, how do you feel?” John.

Another attempt to open his eyes proved a little more successful and he found his brother’s hologram floating next to him.

“I-“

“Hey, you, glowboy. When the hell do I get let off this boat?”

John turned slowly and calmly in the direction of a rotund, formerly well-dressed man of European appearance. “Mr Polominka, you will be set down in Sydney as previously discussed as soon as our more urgent patients receive medical attention.”

“And how long will that be?”

Scott watched as his most patient brother frowned. “As long as it needs to be.”

“And what am I supposed to do in the meantime?”

John shrugged. “You could shut up. It would make this whole process much more peaceful.”

Being told to shut up apparently shocked the man into doing exactly that, the look of outrage on his face choked down whatever he had been going to say.

John ignored him and turned back to Scott. “How are you feeling?”

Scott grunted. “Been better.” A bitter swallow. Urgh. “Status?”

“We are approaching Nagoya. We have made arrangements to access hospital facilities there. The storm over Tokyo was making landing difficult so Virgil opted for the nearest major city.”

“Thunderbird One?”

“Gordon has her. On her way home.”

Hospital? He knew his brother. Virgil wouldn’t let him go home without seeing a doctor. Ugh. Almost as bad as fighting his stomach. He eyed the two other men in the room. “Rescuee status?”

“The two aboard TB1 have been delivered to Nagoya. The third has two broken legs and is sharing the infirmary with you. I have reassured him he is safe, however he is still distressed...and Mr Polominka is not helping the situation.”

“Me? You’re the one who kidnapped me!”

John ignored him. “Mr Polominka was rescued off his luxury yacht on a remote island in the South Pacific. We were returning him to Sydney when you encountered difficulties.”

“Returning? I don’t want to go to bloody Sydney. I said France, you asshole!”

While Scott’s blood turned as cold as his expression, John didn’t even bat an eyelid.” Mr Polominka, International Rescue is not a taxi service. You may disembark in Nagoya. Otherwise you will be delivered to the Australian authorities.”

“I don’t want to go to Japan anymore than I want to go to Australia. You will take me to France.”

If Scott’s head hadn’t been throbbing so hard, he would have given the man a piece of his mind. As it was, all he could do was groan.

“Mr Polominka, if you don’t sit down and shut up, you will be spending the rest of the voyage confined.”

“How dare you! I’m Richard Polominka, I own half the French seaboard. I could buy this ship and everyone on it.”

“Mr Polominka, I don’t care.”

John’s tone was so matter of fact, so dry, Scott knew his brother was moments away from calmly doing something permanent.

He opened his mouth to say something when Thunderbird Two’s VTOL kicked in and her forward momentum slowed. Scott grabbed the edge of his bed. The Japanese man groaned.

And Richard Polominka fell over, colliding with a cabinet.

“For Christ’s sake, you bastards don’t stop do you!”

Scott had had enough. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He held his head as the world swung in circles.

“Scott-“

Polominka floundered, grabbing at the cabinet, attempting to pull himself up, only to open the cabinet door and upend a pile of medical supplies on his head. He swore, grabbing shelves and only making more of a mess. Something heavy bounced off his head and his swearing increased in volume.

Scott pushed himself off the bed, knowing he was going to regret it. “Mr Polominka, please calm down.” The pilot found himself falling back against the bed. Vertical obviously wasn’t his body’s preferred orientation at the moment. The bile rose again.

Shit.

“Mr Polominka, please.”

The infirmary door flew open and Virgil strode in. “Scott? John said-“

Polominka took one look at Scott’s younger brother and pounced. “You! You’re the damned pilot of this hunk of junk.” He stuck a scalpel in Virgil’s face. “Take me home!”

Silence fell over the room, TB2’s VTOL a background roar. Virgil looked at the scalpel, then at Polominka. Calm as his orbiting brother, he said, “You haven’t met my girlfriend, have you, Dick?”

The man’s face actually turned red, and he charged the pilot. A brief tussle and Virgil flipped him onto the floor, pinned him, and was scrabbling through those scattered medical supplies, grabbing some tape and restraining the man. “Now, as my much more patient brother mentioned earlier, you can spend the rest of the trip to Australia confined. We don’t have a brig, but I’m sure I can find a closet.” And with that, Virgil dragged the man to his feet and through the door. The sound of footsteps, a creaking door and a satisfying slam.

Virgil reappeared, wiping his hands on his thighs. “So, Scott, how are you feeling?”

Scott stared at his brother. “Kayo?”

A shrug. “She felt I needed a little more hand to hand.”

“Not bad.”

“Necessary. You should have heard what he said to Gordon.” And Virgil’s anger became apparent. Much like Scott, you messed with Virgil’s brothers at your own peril. A deep breath and Virgil appeared to shake himself.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. You haven’t answered my question yet. John has Nagoya Air Control on hold, I need to get my ‘bird on the ground. You good?”

Scott frowned, his vision fuzzy at the edges. “‘Kay.”

“Say that without listing to one side and I might believe you. Lie down. I’ll get you some medical attention asap.” Scott found himself nudged back onto the bed, his head meeting the pillow before he could frame a retort. He reached out and grabbed Virgil, his fingers scraping against his brother’s uniform. “Virgil, are you okay?”

“Huh?”

John’s image flickered on. “Virgil!”

“Yes, Thunderbird Five?”

“Vitals say you’re injured.”

“What?”

Scott pushed himself up again, ignoring the vertigo. “Virgil...”

His brother was staring at him.

The rescuee in the other bed pointed at Virgil and babbled in Japanese. Scott looked down, his eyes widening at a slowly widening pool of blood at Virgil’s feet.

Virgil’s gaze followed his and stared. “Aw, hell.”

Scott scrambled off the bed and staggered over to his brother. Brown eyes looked up and grabbed his, a flash of fear followed by resignation. Virgil’s shoulders slumped. “Kay’s gonna kill me.”

Those brown irises rolled upwards and Virgil was falling forward.

-o-o-o-

End Part One


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title: The Bellini Incident  
> Part Two  
> Author: Gumnut  
> Apr 2019  
> Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS  
> Rating: Teen  
> Summary: Kayo was going to kill him.  
> Word count: 1065  
> Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Virgil!whump with a side order of Scott!whump, some blood.  
> Timeline: Standalone, not Rain series.  
> Author’s note: For @soniabigcheese who threw the prompt at me, and @i-am-chidorixblossom who suggested some Virgil whump. Scott got a bit whumped, too, I’m branching out as a writer, blame @scribbles97.  
> The prompt: The character who doesn’t realize they’ve been hurt trying to see if everyone else is okay only to slowly realize that everyone is looking at them with mounting horror. Then they touch their side to find it’s wet and oh no…  
> This is getting longer than expected. I already have over 2000 words written of part three as this was only supposed to be two parts long, but it keeps getting bigger. So here be a little bit more of this fic. Poor Virg and Poor Scott. I hope you enjoy this ::hugs::  
> Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.  
> -o-o-o-

Scott struggled to catch him. “C’mon, Virg, don’t do this. John! Vitals!”

As he lowered his brother to the floor, he had to slam a palm to the deck to stop himself from joining him. John rattled off numbers. Heart rate up. Blood pressure down. Highway to hypovolemic shock. How the hell. “Get Gordon back here, now!”

“Already on his way. ETA five minutes.”

Thank god. Scott’s vision was greying out.

Pull it together!

It didn’t take much to find the source of the blood. He rolled Virgil over to find a slice through his uniform on his left side. A nasty cut from below, up under his ribs. Shit!

Scott scrambled for wadding and bandages. Pressure. He had to apply pressure. If the damn world would stop spinning! Bile rose again. No. He couldn’t.

Wadding. Pressure.

“John, I need Gordon.” Now his voice was shaking.

“Almost there Scott.”

“Hurry...” The world was fading. “Land TB2.”

“Scott?!”

What?

“Keep applying pressure.”

Pressure?

Virgil!

He blinked. Have to...there was blood all over his hands. Have to...

“Push down, Scott. You need to slow the bleeding.”

Slow the bleeding...Virgil...

There was blood everywhere.

“Virgil?”

“Scott, He will be okay, you just need to hold on for another few minutes.”

He closed his eyes and the world went sideways as the whole ship shuddered and clanked. The roar of VTOL dissipated.

“Scott!”

Huh?

“Virgil needs you!”

“Virgil!” His eyes shot open. Oh god, so much blood. Stop the bleeding. Pressure. Pressure!

White wadding turned red, but he held it down. Pushed. Virgil? His brother’s face was slack, eyes closed. A fleck of red stood out starkly on his cheek against his pale skin. “Virgil?”

No response.

The wadding was wet and warm. It was like Scott was attempting to hold his brother’s insides in with just his fingers.

“Virgil?”

A moment later Gordon tore through the door, swearing at the sight of his brothers.

“John, we need those doctors in here now. I don’t think we can move him.” And his fish brother took over. God, he loved him. Always smiling, practical joking little shit at times, but always the laughter, always the smiles.

“Scott?”

Gordy. Blurry Gordy. No smile. Worried. Blood on his uniform.

Virgil!

“Virgil! Gordon, he’s bleeding! Have to-“ But the world spun and cut him off. Ughnnn.

“It’s okay, Scott. We’ve got him. He’s heading to surgery. He’s safe.”

Safe?

“It’s you we’re worried about now.”

A woman in white, dark hair, Asian features. Oh, yes, Japan. Construction site. Three workers. He sat up suddenly. “Three workers. Rescue-“

A hand held his shoulder, preventing him from moving. “You saved them. They are safe. You’re safe. Relax, bro.”

Relax?

It would be so good to relax. He let his shoulders slump, let his head drop back on whatever he was leaning on. Let out a sigh.

And let go.

-o-o-o-

Gordon caught Scott as he slid sideways. The man was a wreck. Pale, his precious hair askew, blood all over his uniform. The medbay resembled a slaughterhouse. Gordon swallowed, desperate to get the image of his two brothers on the floor out of his head.

The doctor assessed the pilot and called over a nurse. With Gordon’s help, they loaded Scott onto a hover stretcher and started manoeuvring him out of the room. Gordon followed. John securing TB2 as they went.

Down the corridor Polominka was yelling and banging on a door.

Gordon ignored him.

His sister could fix that problem.

-o-o-o-

Thunderbird Shadow banked, levelled and she threw the throttle into full power. Her ‘bird tore across the ocean at speeds nigh those of Thunderbird One. Kayo’s heart was thudding fit to jump out of her chest. John’s sharp report had hit her halfway across the Pacific on the return from a security engagement in San Francisco. She had been aware of Virgil’s deployment, aware of Scott’s, unaware that they had converged and somehow her boyfriend had been stabbed and her brother concussed.

Gordon was onsite and she soon would be.

“Kayo?”

“Yes, John?”

“He is in surgery; all signs are positive. He lost a lot of blood, an artery was damaged, but we got to him in time.”

Kayo’s lips thinned.

“Kayo?”

“I heard you, John.”

Japanese airspace and she was speaking the elegant language. International Rescue was highly respected in the Land of the Rising Sun. She asked to land beside Thunderbirds One and Two and was quickly granted permission.

She cut thrusters and kicked in VTOL, killing her speed. A countdown and she was on the ground, jumping out of the cockpit and heading inside the hospital emergency entrance.

A quick inquiry at the desk and she was directed to a cubical. Gordon sat slumped beside a bed. The bed held a sleeping Scott.

Whispered. “Gordon?”

The aquanaut jumped, and, to her surprise, stumbled to his feet and grabbed her in a panicked hug. “Tin.”

Her name, her Gordon name, said so much with that one syllable. She held him for a moment, his head on her shoulder. It was unusual for her fish brother to seek comfort so readily; it was a sign of how bad it had been.

Softly. “Gordon, report.”

He tensed slightly in her arms before pushing himself upright. The words came slowly at first, but as his shoulders straightened, the more familiar military Gordon came to the fore...which had been her intention.

As he spoke, she drifted towards Scott, eyeing her eldest brother. The man was sickly pale and blood spattered.

She stared at the blood.

Virgil’s blood.

Unwilling to acknowledge what that meant, she turned her eyes back to Gordon. Only to find him covered in dried, flaking brown as well.

It had been very bad.

She swallowed as Gordon’s report staggered to an end.

“So where is Polominka now?”

“Still confined on Thunderbird Two.”

“Virgil.”

“Still in surgery. John hacked the surgical suite’s cams. Looks okay apparently, though he lost a lot of blood.”

So, no further information.

“I’ll take care of Polominka.”

Gordon looked up at her. “I thought you might want to do that.” A pause. “In Virgil’s absence, I have to say ‘be careful’. In my own defence, I have to say ‘give him everything you’ve got’. He has to go down for this.”

As she turned to leave, Kayo eyed him. “Oh, he will, Gordon, he will.”

-o-o-o-

End Part Two


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title: The Bellini Incident  
> Part Three  
> Author: Gumnut  
> Apr 2019  
> Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS  
> Rating: Teen  
> Summary: Kayo was going to kill him.  
> Word count: 2025  
> Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Virgil!whump with a side order of Scott!whump, some blood.  
> Timeline: Standalone, not Rain series.  
> Author’s note: For @soniabigcheese who threw the prompt at me, and @i-am-chidorixblossom who suggested some Virgil whump. Scott got a bit whumped, too, I’m branching out as a writer, blame @scribbles97.(And thanks to her for the read throughs :D )
> 
> The prompt: The character who doesn’t realize they’ve been hurt trying to see if everyone else is okay only to slowly realize that everyone is looking at them with mounting horror. Then they touch their side to find it’s wet and oh no…  
> Getting bigger. The Gentle Rain Effect on my writing is in effect and it has gotten a little out of control. A good chunk of Part Four is written and Virg is stomping all over my brain. He is not a happy man. I hope you enjoy this bit :D  
> Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.  
> -o-o-o-

Kayo had to run the gauntlet of news media to reach Virgil’s ‘bird. The Japanese government had erected barriers around the huge rescue craft as was standard practise wherever a Thunderbird landed and the police were out guarding the massive vehicle, but as always, the media and onlookers had made their crowd just beyond them.

The moment she was seen, the yelling of random questions began. She ignored them all and pushed through to the green behemoth.

Boarding Thunderbird Two without Virgil was odd and a little eerie. It wasn’t the first time, but it happened ever so rarely. She expected his smile around every turn in the corridor, heard his voice when he wasn’t there. She could feel him beside her.

It only made her angrier.

Not raging, more the cool, calm, seething anger that enabled her to do her work.

Stepping inside the medbay wound her so tight her teeth hurt. Dried blood was all over the floor, discarded red-brown wadding tore at her heart.

“John?”

“Yes, Kayo?” Her brother’s hologram blinked into existence.

“I want the recordings. I want to see what happened.”

“Kayo-“

Cold as ice. “Now, please, John.”

The astronaut swallowed before nodding once.

A flicker and a second hologram appeared Scott sitting on the now empty bed. A man stood in the middle of the room shouting abuse at holographic John.

Events played out, her frown increasing. John cut the footage to include him notifying Virgil of the altercation occurring in the medbay. Virgil entered the room and was threatened by an angry Polominka.

She didn’t smile at Virgil’s mention of his girlfriend, but she did frown as her boyfriend caught the man as he attacked. Polominka wasn’t as stupid as he looked. He had form. The two crashed together.

“John, hold!” And there, just as Virgil was about to throw the man to the floor just as she had taught him, bastard slipped the scalpel under Virgil’s arm. She could barely see it, a blurred handful of pixels, but it was enough. “Give me a snapshot of that and continue.”

The figures began to move again, Virgil flinging the bastard to the floor and restraining him with some medical tape.

Kayo frowned again. Virgil didn’t appear have noticed his injury.

The pilot wrangled the man out of the room and down the hall, John switching the internal cameras. She watched as Virgil secured him in a supply closet and returned to the medbay to attend to Scott, all blissfully unaware of the stain spreading down his side.

That changed dramatically as Scott sensed something was wrong and John chimed in with confirmation. Kayo had to stop herself from reaching out as Virgil collapsed into Scott’s wavering arms.

Then there was just more and more blood. Her eldest brother desperate to help Virgil, his consciousness obviously unstable, his hands covered in blood, John shouting holographic encouragement attempting to keep him awake.

It was so painful to watch.

Gordon dashed in.

Oh, so much red.

“Kayo.”

Scott collapsed against the base of the bed as medical crews from the hospital rushed in the stabilise Virgil and cart him away.

Gordon grabbed his brother, both of them covered in their brother’s blood.

“Kayo.”

Scott passed out.

“Kayo!”

The recording stopped. She blinked. A swallow and she wiped her hands on her pants.

“Yes, John?”

“They are going to be okay.”

“I know.”

“Good.” His tone was firm, his worry only an echo. “I have advised local police of the crime involved and that you will be delivering the suspect into their custody.”

“Oh, I will...eventually.”

“Kayo-“

“John, could you please send me a copy of this file?” She had promised Gordon. And even if she hadn’t, Polominka had stabbed Virgil, nearly killed him.

“Kayo-“

“Please, John. I need it for evidence.” The expression on his face told her that he knew she knew that he had already sent the file to the police. He sent her the file anyway.

“Be careful, Kayo. The man is a billionaire, he has powerful friends.”

“Yes? Well, so do I.”

Leaving the medbay, she detoured to the cockpit to complete some necessary tasks and grab supplies, before returning to that same hallway Virgil had hauled Polominka down earlier in the day.

“Is someone there?” The voice was hesitant.

Kayo unlocked the door and shoved it open.

“Oh, thank god.” The man was a mess, sweat on his face...and the smell. Oh, there were no facilities in the closet. Ugh. There would be bleach later. Lots of bleach.

He was staring at her. “Well, aren’t you going to let me out?”

“Mr Polominka?” She kept her tone polite.

“Yes. Who are you?”

Her lips thinned. “Do you remember Virgil Tracy?”

“The moronic pilot?”

She didn’t react, though this man was obviously either stupid or...no...he was just stupid. She reached in and grabbed the man by his arm and yanked. “I’m Virgil’s girlfriend.” And she dragged him out the door.

“He’s got a girlfriend? Why should I care if he has a girlfriend?” Kayo pushed him between his shoulder blades and he stumbled. “Hey? Who do you think you are? Do you know who I am?”

“Of course. You’re the man who stabbed Virgil Tracy.”

“He had it coming.”

Kayo froze, having to physically restrain herself from throwing the man through the bulkhead. “Why do you say that?”

“Because I was supposed to be flown to France, for frick’s sake. Don’t any of you bloody International Rescue mob speak English?”

“I speak perfect English, Mr Polominka. I have exemplary diction and turn of phrase. Which is why when I say that you are an asshole, I am being very precise in my statement.” She shoved him hard enough for him to stumble onto the hatchway and hit the control to lower the both of them to the ground below TB2.

Cameras started flashing immediately.

Grabbing his arm, she hauled him across the grass towards the media.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Contributing to what you have coming, Mr Polominka.” He tried to pull away, but she was strong and just held him tighter.

She had every eye she needed as she approached the barriers. “If I could have your attention please.” It was redundant, really, she already had it. Just to make sure, she linked her comms into TB2’s external speakers. “Can you all hear me?” Her voice boomed across the park. She had no doubt that everyone in a good mile radius could hear her. “Earlier today, this man ‘allegedly’ attacked and stabbed an International Rescue operative.” She let that settle amongst the gasps in the crowd. IR, in general, were a very respected organisation. In Japan, even more so as it was a hotspot for earthquake and tsunami aid. “His name is Richard Polominka and I would like to show you what happened today.” Kayo, keeping her grip on the struggling man held out a portable holoprojector and hit play. “If there are any children in the crowd they may want to look away.”

And it played out in front of the world’s media for all to see. Of course, she wasn’t relying on just this. Minutes before she had transmitted the file to all news outlets. This was just to make sure it was seen and Polominka was able to bask in his glory.

The man continued to struggle, but despite the ‘form’ he had shown against Virgil, he made little progress and soon his name was being shouted at him by the crowd.

“He should have taken me to France! The stupid bastard only needed to take me home, I wasn’t asking much.”

The crowd responded just as Kayo expected, the outrage bending the barriers and alarming the police.

Speaking of police, she was suddenly surrounded by officers, polite Japanese ordered her to stand down and release Polominka.

She did. Her task was done. The man had been publicly shamed by the truth. The law could handle the rest.

The crowd was snarling, reporters yelling questions with Polominka too stupid to keep his mouth shut, claiming his innocence and Virgil’s stupidity. He simply dug himself in deeper.

With smooth words, she talked her way out of the altercation, leaving both the crowd and Polominka to the police.

-o-o-o-

“What did you think you were doing?”

“Exactly what needed to be done.”

“The man’s a billionaire, Kayo, with powerful friends.”

“I know that, Scott. Which is exactly why I exposed him for what he was. He would have gotten away with it otherwise.”

“Justice-“

“Scott, don’t be so naive! You said it yourself, he is a billionaire with powerful friends. He would have weaselled his way out of it. He still may.” A pause. “If the people could see exactly what he did, he has less chance of escaping justice.”

“We’re not the police, Kayo.”

“Goddamnit, I know that, Scott, we’ve had that discussion enough times already. This was different.”

Virgil opened his eyes to find his brother and his girlfriend at the end of his bed glaring at each other. They blurred a moment as his eyelids dipped, but he forced them open again. They shouldn’t be arguing.

Arguing.

His eyelids slid closed again.

“Yes, it was different. And you risked slander charges, inciting a riot, obstructing justice-“

“Obstructing justice?!”

Virgil’s eyes shot open again. Kay?

Her voice was determined. “At no point was I obstructing justice. I was serving it.”

Kay?

Scott slumped where he stood, his hand going to his head and Virgil realised his brother was wearing pyjamas. He frowned. Scott?

Where the hell was his voice?

“Maybe you should sit down.” Kayo reached out to touch her brother.

“I’m fine.”

It was obvious he was not. “Sc-“ The name caught in his throat, but it was enough for both his brother and his lover to turn and stare at him.

“Virgil?” His name was said in harmony.

He opened his mouth to answer, but again the words caught in his throat. This time it set him coughing. Oh, hell. Oh, god, that hurt. He gasped, desperate to control his diaphragm as pain shot up and down his left side. Shit.

“Virgil, take it slow and calm. Count. Count to ten. Remember what you used to tell Gordy. Calm. One, two, three, four...” And Virgil followed his brother’s voice. Okay, okay, six, seven, shit, ow, nine, ten, eleven, ah, twelve...he let his breath out between his teeth. Perhaps talking wasn’t a great idea.

Kayo had her hand in his hair, stroking gently. He closed his eyes and focussed on that. So nice. Oh, yes. He fell into the comfort of her touch and drifted.

He woke up sometime later feeling less foggy and more awake than asleep. “Kay?”

There was a scrabble to his right and the love of his life appeared. Whispered. “Virgil? How do you feel?”

He blinked. “Better. How are you?” A frown. “Scott?”

“Asleep.” She stepped back and Virgil turned his head to find his brother, eyes closed, in the bed beside him. That explained why Kay was whispering.

“Is he okay?”

“On the mend. He has a rather nasty concussion.”

“Thunderbird Two?”

“Back at base. Gordon flew her. Alan picked up One.”

“Why am I here?”

Kay reached out and stroked his hair again. Despite himself, he closed his eyes and leant into her touch. Her fingers trailed down his cheek, skipping over his oxygen cannula and gently cupping his jaw. “Because you let yourself get stabbed by an idiot.”

Oh shit. “Sorry-“ But his apology was muffled as she leant over and kissed him gently, her breath hot on his skin.

“So you should be. Don’t do it again.”

He could smell her perfume. “Kay?”

Her lips brushed his once more. “It seems you need more training. I expect you in the gym every morning as soon as you are fit for duty.” But she smiled.

“Okay.” His eyes tracked across her features. God, he loved her

-o-o-o-

It only took him a day to discover exactly what had happened to him and exactly how many people knew about it.

 

End Part 3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title: The Bellini Incident  
> Part Four  
> Author: Gumnut  
> Apr 2019  
> Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS  
> Rating: Teen  
> Summary: Kayo was going to kill him.  
> Word count: 2460  
> Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Virgil!whump with a side order of Scott!whump, some blood.  
> Timeline: Standalone, not Rain Series.  
> Author’s note: For @soniabigcheese who threw the prompt at me, and @i-am-chidorixblossom who suggested some Virgil whump. Scott got a bit whumped, too, I’m branching out as a writer, blame @scribbles97.(And thanks to her for the read throughs :D )
> 
> The prompt: The character who doesn’t realize they’ve been hurt trying to see if everyone else is okay only to slowly realize that everyone is looking at them with mounting horror. Then they touch their side to find it’s wet and oh no…  
> Okay, this has officially taken on a life of its own. It is no longer part of the Warm Rain universe and is now standalone (though don’t be surprised if it makes its own series, my brain is like that). This is going to be much longer than I ever expected and will be exploring things I never even considered when I started it. I’m not in control here. I wonder why I ever thought I was. I hope you enjoy it anyway ::hugs::  
> Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

It only took him a day to discover exactly what had happened to him and exactly how many people knew about it.

It was an English-speaking nurse who spilled the beans.

“I’m so sorry this happened to you, Mr Tracy. That Polominka man should rot in jail.” She was changing the sheets on his bed as he attempted to keep it all together for his first time sitting in the chair beside the bed. Slightly fuzzy and in pain, he frowned up at her.

“I’m sorry, who?”

She stopped what she was doing and stared at him a moment. “Polominka, the French rich guy who stabbed you. I still cannot believe he did that. You were responding to another emergency, for goodness sake. There were lives at stake.”

He stared at her. Dick Billionaire. “He wasn’t French.”

“Oh, I know that.” She waved a pillowcase at him. “He might as well be, though, he owns half the French south coast. The nerve of the man. You could have been killed. And your poor brother, being so ill himself and trying to save you. Heroes you are, the whole lot of you.”

Virgil was still staring at her, his fuzzy brain attempting to pull the facts together. “How do you know that?”

“It’s obvious. You should have seen your brother. Such a handsome man.” Her eyes glazed over a moment. “Such a hero.”

“No. How do you know what happened?”

She blinked. “Oh, you haven’t seen the news, have you?” The answer to that was obvious and he didn’t bother to respond, just watched as she pulled out her phone and fiddled with it for a moment. “Here you go.” She held it up and a holoprojection appeared above it.

It was a current affairs discussion program, a man and a woman swapping words that included ‘International Rescue’ and ‘Richard Polominka’.

The woman’s precise tones echoed around the hospital room. “It does show how vulnerable International Rescue is to an unscrupulous mind. Both Commander Tracy and the rescuee were in the ship’s medbay, incapacitated and completely exposed to the suspect. There was little Monitor Tracy could do to protect them. In fact, what little he was able to do, led to Pilot Tracy being seriously injured as we have seen multiple times in the footage of the incident.”

A video of himself bleeding all over the floor with Scott desperately trying to help him appeared in the projection. The pain in his brother’s eyes stabbed him in the heart.

“How?” The word escaped the tightness in his chest.

“I’m sorry?” The nurse was frowning at him.

“How did they get that footage?”

“Oh, there’s more. Let me see if...” She fiddled with the phone and flicked between channels until a familiar green ‘bird appeared. She held it paused a moment before rewinding. An equally familiar face flicked into view.

A beautiful face.

An angry face.

Oh, love.

“They’ve been playing this almost non-stop since it happened.” She hit play and Kay’s lips moved as a news ticker scrolled below her face. ‘International Rescue condemns Richard Polominka. Polominka. Holdings stock falling further. Pilot Virgil Tracy seriously injured in unprovoked attack.’ Kay was shouting into a crowd, Thunderbird Two her backdrop, Polominka struggling in her grip.

Shit.

She played the footage.

His heart stopped a moment and then it just hurt.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

Virgil jumped and then swore as his side lit on fire.

Kay swept into the room, followed by a slow-moving Scott. She snatched the phone from the hands of the suddenly terrified nurse.

“Kayo!” Scott’s voice was about half its normal strength, but it was enough. Kay threw the now deactivated phone onto the half-made bed in disgust as Scott made his way over to the now trembling nurse.

Virgil’s heart was trying to break out of his rib cage as his side protested and the footage etched into his memory. He closed his eyes.

Scott’s voice, a scrabble and fast-moving footsteps. A door closed.

“Virgil?”

His breathing came in shallow gasps and he found himself hunched over himself. Kay’s voice was followed by her hand on his shoulder.

He flinched.

“Why?” It came out parched and hurting.

“Virgil?”

“Why?!” The half-hearted shout hurt like hell and his grip on his ribcage tightened as the fuzzy edges of his mind danced.

“We need to get you back into bed.” Scott. A soft touch on the back of his neck. A presence at his side.

“In front of all the world to see? Kay, why?” He opened his eyes and pleaded up at her.

Her voice was calm. “He needed to go down, Virgil. I needed to make sure he paid.”

“With my dignity?” With Scott’s? His brother’s desperation, hands coated in blood. Hell, it hurt more than his side.

“It was necessary.”

He closed his eyes and let himself list to his left. God, he was tired.

“C’mon, Virg. Let us help you up.”

Up. It had hurt to get into the chair. He was not looking forward to the reverse manoeuvre.

“He would have gone down anyway. I would have made sure of it. John would have made sure of it. Hell, Scott probably still wants to punch him.” He grabbed his brother’s forearm and sighed. “Don’t you trust us, Kay?”

“I do.”

“Then how could you expose us like that? How could you let all those people...see...?”

“See what, Virgil?” Her tone shifted from defensive to challenging. “See you bleeding all over the floor because an ungrateful bastard stabbed you with a scalpel? See the human behind the myth?”

“See us vulnerable!” He flinched again. Goddamnit! “See us kicked when we’re down. See how easy it is to take us out. You’re the security officer. Tell me how much of a breach this is. What does the world know about us now that it can use against us?”

Kay opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Swearing, Virgil grit his teeth and forced himself upright. Scott grabbed his arms and Kay leapt in to help as he pushed himself up off the chair with a godawful groan.

He almost fell onto the bed, only Scott’s quick reflexes preventing him from a whole new array of pain. As his brother and Kay helped lower him to the white sheets, he let a breath out. “They can see...”

“Virg, c’mon, don’t worry about it right now. Rest.” Scott’s voice was rough.

He grabbed at his brother’s arm. “I’m sorry, Scott. Shouldn’t have. Should have been stronger. I’m so sorry.”

Blue frowned at him and a strong hand gripped his shoulder. “Virgil, it wasn’t your fault.”

“Stupid, so stupid. Should have known better. Should have-“

“Virgil! Rest. That’s an order.”

He blinked, staring up at the commander. The intensity in his face was a physical presence. The order was ridiculous, but Virgil grabbed onto it in the midst of emotional turmoil like a lifesaver. “Okay.”

The hand on his shoulder squeezed. “Good. I will take care of this. I promise.”

“Shouldn’t hav-“

“I. Will. Take. Care. Of. It.” Scott’s tone stood for no discussion.

“Okay.”

“Rest.”

There was a hand in his hair. He leant into it.

So goddamn tired.

“Rest.”

He did.

-o-o-o-

Scott dragged Kayo out of the shared hospital room. His head was throbbing, the damned concussion a persistent one.

Their security guard frowned at them as they strode down the hallway, speaking into her communicator. No doubt Gerald or Iz would be following them shortly.

“You should be resting.”

“I know that, Kayo, but I can’t because I have to clean up this mess you made.”

“What is to clean up?”

He dragged her into an empty room, stood her in front of him, and slammed the door. No doubt he was less than impressive in his dressing gown, but it would have to do. “Didn’t you see Virgil’s reaction? Weren’t you standing right beside me?”

“What do you mean? He was understandably upset. And, as always, too damned caring for his own good.”

“Kayo!”

“What?!”

“Caring is what makes us who we are. It is why International Rescue exists.”

“Caring is what gets him hurt all the damned time!”

Scott stared at her a moment, forcing himself to remember that Kayo was hurting as much as any of them.

She took the opportunity to put space between them, walking across the room to the window looking out onto the Japanese city of Nagoya.

He sighed. “It is not your fault he was injured, Kayo.”

“Hah!”

“The only person to blame here is Polominka.”

She spun to face him. “Which is why he has to go down.”

“He would have gone down regardless. You should know better. We have enough power behind us to prevent culpability where it isn’t due.” But it went beyond that, didn’t it. “You just wanted to hurt him.”

“Of course, I did! He stabbed Virgil!” Her expression was fire and Scott took a step back. Her love for his brother was a presence in the room, a burning inferno, felt, but unseen. “And for no reason other than his own petty little hissy fit. He nearly killed him! Virgil risks his life to save others, and he...” She turned away, once again looking out at the city.

Scott swallowed. His sister was as passionate as his brother. The fact he was the calm one in this situation was so ironic he could almost laugh.

Almost.

He made his way across the room and came up behind Kayo and gently wrapped his arms around her. She stiffened a moment, but let him turn her around and she rested her head on his chest. “He will be okay.”

“I know.”

“Polominka will get his due.”

“I know.”

Scott sighed and just held her.

-o-o-o-

John Tracy’s personal tablet was a little bit different than the average personal tablet. Not only did it have access to all the capabilities of Thunderbird Five and was occasionally possessed by an artificial intelligence, he had reworked its innards to an unrecognisable state. This tablet had more computing and networking power than a state of the art super computer.

And it fit into his back pocket.

At this very moment, high above the Pacific, he was using it to hack into several French banks to follow a suspicious cash flow belonging to one Richard Polominka. Eos was trailing him at a distance, clearing any trace he may leave behind, little though that be.

Gordon was flying Tracy Two, Alan beside him. Grandma was with them, but Brains had stayed behind on the Island determined to make sure Thunderbird Two was spotless when Virgil returned home in a few days’ time.

“John, this is a very suspicious line of enquiry.” Eos’ voice in his ear piece was both curious and amused.

His daughter’s reaction to Virgil’s injury had been predictably outraged. It had been her idea to do a thorough investigation on the billionaire, something they would have done in any case, but Eos had expressed her anger in her usual way and it had taken John some quick talking to prevent the AI from destroying all the billionaire’s assets in one virus-fuelled swoop.

He had to admit to himself that Eos’ power could be frightening.

“Everything about this man is suspicious, Eos.” John’s voice was calm, but distracted.

“I would have used the word ‘stupid’ myself.”

“You used the word ‘suspicious’ just now.”

“Suspicious but too stupid to be acknowledged as such.”

“Now, now, Eos. Billionaires don’t become billionaires by being stupid.”

“They do if they inherit the money through no effort of their own.”

John sighed and shrugged. “You have a point.”

“And besides, I described the line of enquiry as suspicious, not the idiot himself.”

John arched an eyebrow. “What’s with the colloquialisms?”

“They seemed appropriate.”

“Have you been conversing with Gordon?”

“Certainly not.”

“Who then?”

“Why do you assume I need to talk to someone to acquire the skill?”

“Who?”

“Tanusha.”

“Kayo? What have you been discussing with Kayo?”

“Security.”

He frowned. “Why?”

“Why not? This can’t be allowed to happen again.”

“No, it can’t.” He still couldn’t get the image of his eldest brothers out of his head. He was far from squeamish, but when it was his brother’s blood, it was a whole different scenario. He shook himself. Get back on track.

The money trail he was following was, as Eos pointed out, headed in a very suspicious direction. An Indonesian direction. A few more key taps, and there it was. Polominka had his fingers in at least one Hood identified holding.

Damn.

Would they ever escape that man? Dead and he was still impacting on their lives.

With a flick of a finger, John set off a bloodhound tracer program. It would scout out the reach of the holding, the cashflow and report back with a map of transactions.

“I think the colloquialism needs to be upgraded.”

“Eos-“

“Polominka has reached moth-“

“Eos! Stop listening to Gordon!”

“Hmph.”

-o-o-o-

Brie watched as Mr Tracy and her boss walked down the corridor. Stabbing her communicator, she summoned Iz and Gerald to follow. Hell, Mr Virgil Tracy was the subject of an attempted murder, IR security was vibrating with tension.

She kept her eyes on them until they disappeared into a room further down. Mentally she expanded her perimeter to include that room until she could confirm contact with one of the other security officers.

Part of her was still steaming at the affront of one of the Tracy men being attacked on their own Thunderbird. After this situation was resolved she was going to definitely put the point across to Kayo that onboard security was desperately needed. IR carried so many potential threats, it was ludicrous that the measure wasn’t already in place.

The Tracy family was far too secure on their secret island. Hell, the damn Hood had found his way there, yet still there was no dominant security presence other than her superior, and half the time she was off island on a mission.

Brie bit the inside of her cheek as her eyes tracked a nurse leaving the hallway at the far end. Hospital security had this area fairly cordoned off, but there were still staff moving to and fro who had to be monitored.

Her thoughts wandered briefly to the man she was currently protecting. She had spoken with Mr Virgil Tracy in the past. He was a kind and considerate man, and to see that footage...

Polominka could rot in hell.

Footsteps to her right grabbed her attention as an orderly passed pushing a trolley of linen.

She followed him with her eyes.

Consequently, she didn’t see the gun that silently took her life.

-o-o-o-

End Part Four


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title: The Bellini Incident  
> Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five  
> Author: Gumnut  
> Apr 2019  
> Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS  
> Rating: Teen  
> Summary: Kayo was going to kill him.  
> Word count: 2625  
> Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Virgil!whump with a side order of Scott!whump, some blood, language warning for one word.  
> Timeline: Standalone, not Rain Series.  
> Author’s note: For @soniabigcheese who threw the prompt at me, and @i-am-chidorixblossom who suggested some Virgil whump. Scott got a bit whumped, too, I’m branching out as a writer, blame @scribbles97.(And thanks to her for the read throughs :D )  
> The prompt: The character who doesn’t realize they’ve been hurt trying to see if everyone else is okay only to slowly realize that everyone is looking at them with mounting horror. Then they touch their side to find it’s wet and oh no…  
> Well, this was a fight to get onto the page. Many thanks to @scribbles97 for the plot help for the last scene. Apparently my brain fried after all the action and had no idea what to do next. Scribbs saved me big time :D I hope you enjoy the extra dose of whump in this one :D  
> Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

It was pure chance Virgil wasn’t asleep when the door opened. The pain radiating up and down his left side was the culprit. Despite the drugs in his system, it hadn’t liked the movement earlier and was making him pay.

A man entered dragging a body.

It took a moment for the concept to register in his fog filled brain, but once it clicked, adrenalin flooded his system and his heart picked up.

The man was holding a gun.

The body on the floor wore an IR security uniform. Brie, his security guard.

Virgil’s eyes widened as the gun came up pointed in his direction.

Time stopped.

He threw himself of the other side of the bed. Heat tore into his shoulder as he moved. The floor reached up and hit him. Hard.

A frantic moment as he struggled with pain coming from everywhere.

Footsteps.

Move!

With nowhere else to go, he rolled under the bed. He didn’t need his engineering knowledge to know it wouldn’t stop a bullet.

Black booted feet stopped at the end of the bed.

Desperate for a way out, Virgil’s eyes caught on the bed’s brakes. Only one was on. The bed hadn’t been secured properly after the nurse changed the sheets.

A flick of the lever, he grabbed the head end of the bed and with everything he had, pushed it in the direction of the gunman.

Years of training paid off as his shoulder muscles did as he demanded, screaming with the movement and the pain. The bed was flung forward, colliding with the gunman’s legs and pinning him to the far wall.

Leaving Virgil exposed.

Tears in his eyes, he rolled over and pushed himself to his feet, fighting the spin of the world around him. Everything was screaming, everything hurt. A bullet embedded itself in Scott’s empty bed.

Virgil threw himself through the door, legs pumping of their own accord as his upper body struggled to stay upright.

The corridor was empty.

There was a crash behind him.

Virgil picked a direction and ran.

-o-o-o-

“John!” It was a harsh whisper in his earpiece.

“Virgil?”

“John! I need help. There’s a guy with a gun.” His brother cut off with a gasp and a groan.

“Virgil! Eos, locations on Virgil, Scott and Kayo. Now!” His fingers danced across his screen. Eos fed the information to him without replying. Three dots flashed on the plan of the hospital. “Locate suspect. Locate security! Virgil, speak to me!”

“I’m... Can’t-“ Heavy breathing. Another groan. John wished for vital stats, but Virgil was not wearing his uniform. “Contact Kay and Scott. Safe. Keep them s’fe.”

“Virgil!”

His shout had Grandma at his side. “John?”

He didn’t have time. “Scott! Kayo! We have an armed intruder. Eos! Have you located the suspect?!”

“Interference in the hospital closed circuit network. Working on it. Security has been advised and is attending.”

“John?!” Both Scott and Kayo responded at once.

“Please hold position for your safety. I have yet to locate the suspect. Security is on its way.”

“John, if you think I’m staying here-“

“Kayo! Hold position.” A flick of a finger and he connected her line directly to Virgil’s. “Talk to Virgil. Stay calm.”

-o-o-o-

A dripping tap was poor company.

Virgil curled up in the corner of the shower. He had locked the door to the bathroom, but knew it was only a temporary setback. He only needed enough time to allow security to stop the guy.

The world was spinning. His whole side was screaming at him and he had no doubt he’d blown his stitches. Kayo was going to yell at him again.

He sagged against the cold tiles.

“Virgil?” The whisper was so quiet, he almost missed it, but the voice was heaven sent.

“Kay? Are you safe? Is Scott safe?”

“We’re fine. Where are you?”

“Stay where you are. He’s got a g’n.”

“Are you hurt?”

He bit his lip. The answer was yes, but he wanted her to stay put. “I’m okay.”

“Virgil-“

“Stay where you are.” A door beyond the bathroom creaked. He froze. “Quiet.”

He couldn’t hear footsteps. The silence was deafening.

The bathroom door rattled.

He flinched and bit through his lip.

A bullet tossed splinters into the room as it tore through the lock.

Virgil whispered into his comms. “I love you, Kay.”

He pushed himself to his feet.

-o-o-o-

Eos streamed through the network desperate to unravel the blockages in the system. Someone knew what they were doing and she cursed their skill. John deployed tracers behind her as he tracked IR security running through the building.

Closed circuit video was crippled in the section she needed, a loop playing ‘all is well’. She stretched across available avenues.

The fire prevention system.

Yes.

Eos moved.

-o-o-o-

Virgil had nothing and everything to lose.

He yanked open the door before the gunman could do it on his own terms, and shower curtain in hand, he threw himself at the man.

They crashed into a bed; the plastic curtain tangled between them.

Virgil had strength and mass on his side. The other man was slighter and whip thin, but Virgil was injured, drugged and poorly co-ordinated.

He fought anyway.

His hand found the gun and he clung to it with everything he had, his fingers digging into the man’s hand.

An alarm started screaming so loud it hurt his ears. The sprinklers in the room activated and there was water suddenly in his eyes.

A fist found his side and he screamed.

He hung on.

A breath and he brought up a knee hard into the man’s groin. His opponent folded, but still held on. Virgil twisted a foot around and hooked the man’s leg, desperate to topple him, but his feet slid on the wet floor and he lost purchase.

The shower curtain grew slick and clung. Virgil shoved it in the man’s face.

The man swore and spun him around, throwing him across the room. The air was knocked from his lungs as he collided with the far wall. He had a split second of gun barrel pointed at his head before a blue-grey blur smashed into the man taking him down so fast, he was gone between one breath and the next.

Virgil stared stunned, water running into his eyes.

Threat gone.

Gone.

Gone.

And he was falling.

-o-o-o-

“I love you, Kay.”

Her heart tore in two. “Virgil?”

Scott had his hand on her arm.

A crash echoed through the wall from the room next door. She jumped. “Virgil?” She tore from her brother’s grip.

As her foot hit the corridor, a fire alarm started screeching.

Her hand shot out and pushed Scott behind her.

The sound of running water.

A yell in a familiar voice.

Standing behind the wall for protection, she edged open the door to the suspect room.

It was raining inside.

Two men were fighting, a shower curtain tangled between them.

Red swam in the water on the floor.

Virgil was struggling.

The fire alarm was screaming.

The gunman yelled and flung her lover across the room, brought up his gun, aimed-

Kayo collided with him. The bullet embedded itself in the ceiling. Her palm connected with his throat and he went down hard. A knee in his gut as she wrenched the gun from his hand. A swipe of her arm and she knocked him out with his own weapon.

“Virgil!”

She looked up to see Scott reaching for his brother as he slowly slid down the opposite wall leaving a smeared trail of red washed away by the sprinklers.

-o-o-o-

Strong hands caught him and gently lowered him to the floor.

Blue eyes, ever worried.

Scott.

The alarm and sprinklers died. The silence was sudden and he blinked.

“Kay?”

“She’s safe, Virgil.” Scott’s voice was tight, those blue eyes scanning him for injury. A frown carved a canyon through his brow. “You’re bleeding.”

“Kay?”

Scott’s fingers peeled back his pyjama shirt. “Aw, hell, Virg.” He spoke into his collar. “John, get a doctor in here asap. Virgil’s been shot.”

“I have?” He looked down at himself. An exit wound in his left shoulder was dribbling blood down his wet chest. “Aw, hell.”

“Exactly. You’ve also blown your stitches.”

His brother nudged him and he tipped to his right side, leaning against Scott. Everything was wet.

Then Kay was there.

Oh, he was in so much trouble.

Her face was pinched with worry, her hair soaked with water. It ran down her cheeks as she reached for him. Her fingers touched his face.

Security burst into the room, Gerald and Iz trailing hospital staff. Kay disappeared from his vision and he reached out. Pain shot up his side and he groaned.

Scott caught his arm and held him. Voices gave orders. Fingers prodded him and he cried out. Stars danced. He needed Kay.

A stranger’s face appeared in his field of vision. Pale blue eyes surrounded by a halo of dark wavy hair. “Mr Tracy? Virgil?”

Huh? He raised his head and blinked away the haze. He didn’t feel too good. Scott still had his arms around him, but he found himself shivering anyway.

The woman said something about ‘bleeding’ and ‘surgery’.

Her eyes danced in front of him. Why weren’t they green? “Kay?”

“Virgil?” And suddenly she was there.

“Oh, Kay.” He reached out, but Scott held him back.

“Don’t move, Virgil. Stay still.”

But he only had eyes for Kay. “Safe? Please be safe.”

A soft smile. “I’m safe. Now we need to get you better.”

“He shot me. Wasn’t my fault.”

Another smile as she touched his cheek. “It never is, love. It never is.”

He leant into her touch and closed his eyes.

-o-o-o-

“It has to be Polominka. Who else could it be?” Alan was pacing.

“We have no proof.”

“Not yet. Give me a moment.”

“John, you got something?” Scott was hovering as expected. No Virgil to mother hen, so he was flailing.

They were holed up in a conference room deep within the hospital. IR security was on heavy alert. Gerald and Iz had Virgil in surgery. Jeremy was outside their door and more officers were flying in.

“No, I said I need a moment.”

“That goddamned bastard.”

“Gordon, mind your language.”

“I’m sorry, Grandma.”

“So you should be. At least throw one ‘fuck’ in there.”

The room fell silent. Even John found himself staring at his grandmother.

The woman had fire in her eyes. Scott took a tentative step forward. “Grandma, are you okay?”

“No, I’m not. How could I possibly be okay? Someone killed Brie and tried to kill one of my grandsons. I am definitely not okay.”

“I’ll find him, Grandma.” John turned back to his tablet. He tried not to think about Brie. Work now, grieve later.

“We already know where he is.”

“We have no proof it was Polominka, Alan.” Scott’s tone was patient, but on edge. His hair was in disarray having dried without attention and he had bloodstains on his dressing gown.

“Who else could it be? The Hood’s dead. Who else would want to hurt Virgil?”

That question shut down the room for a moment, each brother caught in his own thoughts. They had Polominka in custody. They had the attempted assassin in custody, a man with no identity or background yet discovered - John had bots on that as well. They had no answers to any of their questions. So, it was quiet when the door was flung open and Kayo strode into the room, Colonel Casey on her heels.

Eos drew his attention for a moment as she reported back on the hacked hospital network. She had very little to give him. He was not surprised. It had been done well. He swore under his breath. His tracer bots were out there hunting for keywords, following Polominka’s transactions. He had already confirmed that the man had supported the Hood when he was alive and was still filtering funds into several terrorist organisations, mostly those whose mandate led to profits in other sectors in which Polominka had interests. As far as he could determine, the billionaire was a soulless bastard who catered only to his own whim.

In this case his brother hadn’t, so the man felt he had the right to attempt to force him. Of course, he failed and was humiliated by Kayo. John had already hacked the holding facility. Polominka’s only visitor had been his lawyer, a man as shady as his employer. John had traced the man’s movements since, but couldn’t garner enough detail from the digital network. He needed Kayo on the ground.

Casey spoke up. “This room is surveillance proof. You may talk freely here.”

“We know. John already checked.” Scott’s voice was sharp and confident. His brother was in a mood, understandably.

The colonel’s dark eyes flicked to Scott and back to John. “We also know you are attempting to trace information on Richard Polominka, John.”

“Just doing my job, Aunt Val.”

Her lips thinned. “Keep within the law.”

He shrugged. “I only do what is necessary, you know that.”

“This is not your usual rescue.”

“No, it’s not.” Scott stepped towards the Colonel. “Someone tried to kill Virgil. And succeeded in killing Brie Edison.”

“I know that, Scott. That is why I’m here. We are doing everything we can to discover who did this.”

“As are we.”

Blue eyes locked onto brown and challenged.

“Scott-“

“I’m sorry, Aunt Val. This is just a step too far.”

John bit his lip. Why did they always find that they needed Virgil when the man was the source of the problem?

Probably because Scott flailed when his brother wasn’t available.

His tablet beeped and he raised an eyebrow. There was activity on one of Polominka’s phone lines. The word ‘Tracy’ had been mentioned at least once. “Eos, get on it.”

“Yes, John.” The AI dove into the network, her fingers reaching out and connecting datapoints. John could do it himself, but Eos had more power and speed and he needed that information now.

“So, what do we do?” Gordon was fidgeting, his concern obvious.

Casey straightened as if readying herself for a battle. “We need to move you all to a more secure facility.”

“Virgil’s still in surgery. He was shot.” It bore repetition.

Her brown eyes didn’t even blink. “I know. And I would prefer he didn’t get shot again. Hence the move to a more secure facility.”

“Do you think whoever they are will try again?” The concern in Alan’s voice was obvious.

“I don’t know, but we can’t risk it. I won’t risk it.” Casey’s tone was firm and final.

John glanced at Scott. His brother’s face was stone. “We’re not leaving him. We move as one.”

“I had no intentions on separating you. Why are you fighting me on this, Scott?”

“You will have to excuse me for being on edge. I get that way when someone kills one of my employees and tries to murder one of my brothers.”

What the hell? “Scott, Colonel Casey is only trying to help.” He knew his brother wasn’t well. No doubt he had a throbbing headache and should probably be in bed. But no one here would be able to get him there. The only person who could was currently incapacitated himself.

Cold blue eyes turned in John’s direction, but his brother didn’t answer him.

“John, I have the conversation for you.”

“Thank you, Eos. Display content.”

Words appeared on his tablet screen. His eyes darted across them. Shit.

“We can’t move Virgil.” Seven pairs of eyes pinned him to his seat. “They’re already planning an attack.”

-o-o-o-

End Part Five.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title: The Bellini Incident  
> Part Six  
> Author: Gumnut  
> Apr 2019  
> Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS  
> Rating: Teen  
> Summary: Kayo was going to kill him.  
> Word count: 2288  
> Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Virgil!whump with a side order of Scott!whump.  
> Timeline: Standalone, not Rain Series.  
> Author’s note: For @soniabigcheese who threw the prompt at me, and @i-am-chidorixblossom who suggested some Virgil whump. Scott got a bit whumped, too, I’m branching out as a writer, blame @scribbles97.(And thanks to her for the read throughs :D )  
> The prompt: The character who doesn’t realize they’ve been hurt trying to see if everyone else is okay only to slowly realize that everyone is looking at them with mounting horror. Then they touch their side to find it’s wet and oh no…  
> Why do I do this? Stuff happens, I hope you enjoy it :D  
> Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

“Mr Tracy!”

Virgil startled out of sleep. The voice was sharp and authoritative.

“I told you to rest in bed. Do I need to list the complications of an untreated concussion? The possibilities for disablement should the injury worsen?”

“I’m just sitting at his bedside.” Scott.

Virgil frowned.

“Honest, Doc, he hasn’t been doing anything but sitting there.” Gordon.

“We’re just waiting for him to wake up.” Alan.

“I know you are worried about your brother, Scott. But you must take care of yourself. That was no low-grade concussion you received. You need bed rest. Especially after the strain from this morning. It is late. Rest.”

The woman’s voice had gone from anger to pleading in one paragraph. Obviously, she had become familiar with his brother.

“Scott, do as she tells you.” His voice came out as a rasp.

“Virgil?”

He didn’t need to open his eyes to know he suddenly had everyone’s attention. A hand wrapped around his.

A frown and he pushed his eyelids up, finding exactly what he expected minus one very important person.

“Where’s Kay?”

He turned his head slightly to his left and found Scott sitting beside his bed. The man was pale. Virgil’s frown deepened. “Scott?”

“Virgil?” It wasn’t his brother speaking. The doctor moved around the bed and approached him. He blinked. He’d seen her before. His eyelids closed on him and he had to open them again. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.” Another involuntary blink. “Where’s Kay?” Another frown. “Where’s John?”

“I’m here.” John’s voice came from the corner of the room. Gordon moved aside and Virgil saw his brother sitting up against the wall manipulating his tablet and a hologram. “Kayo is on the ground doing the necessary footwork to get this bastard.”

“What?!” He tried to sit up, but several hands held him down. A gasp as he was reminded why he was in a hospital bed. “‘S not safe!”

“She’s fine, Virgil. She has IR security with her.”

“Still not safe.” His heart rate was up. Worry clawed through his mind.

“Virgil?” That doctor woman again.

“What?”

“I need to check you over.”

The hand holding his tightened. He frowned and found it was Alan clinging to him. His little brother was almost as pale as Scott. “Alan?”

“Maybe you should do what the doctor asks as well.”

Another involuntary blink. “Kay...”

“She will be fine.”

He turned his head back to Scott. “You should be in bed. You look horrible.”

“Pot, kettle, Virg.”

“Yeah, but I’m already in bed. Do as you are told.” A frown. “Where’s Grandma? She can kick your ass.” God, he was tired.

“Virgil.” The doctor patiently drew his attention again.

The woman had very pale blue eyes. Quite lovely contrasting against her dark hair, porcelain skin, like a painting.

She blinked. “I hope you’re not referring to a Picasso, Mr Tracy.” But her lips were curving into a smile. “Now let’s see how you are.”

There were pokes and prods, a touch to his forehead and his blood pressure was taken. Didn’t nurses usually do that?

“I’m afraid you are under strong security arrangements, Mr Tracy. Usual doesn’t apply.”

Alan was still holding his hand.

“You are always so entertaining when you’re on the hard stuff, Virg.”

“Shut up, Gordon.” His eyes suddenly closed of their own accord and he had to force them open again. “Scott, bed.”

“Virg-“

“Now.” He winced. “Before I make you.”

His brother sighed and with a touch to Virgil’s arm, stood up.

A frown as he swayed. “Damn it, Scott!”

“I’m fine.” But he put a hand to his head and the doctor and Gordon grabbed him. His protests petered off as they dragged him around Virgil’s bed to his own. Virgil didn’t let his breath out until his brother was as prone as he. He watched Scott close his eyes with relief.

Alan still hadn’t let go of Virgil’s hand, but his worried gaze was now on his eldest brother.

“Allie, it’s going to be okay.”

His little brother turned to him and pained blue eyes hit him hard. “It is not okay, Virgil. You were shot.”

“I’m still here.”

“That bastard wants you dead.”

“I’m not dead.”

“Yet.”

“Alan!” Gordon stalked over to his brother. “We can’t afford to think like that. John and Tin will find proof. We’ll take him down.”

Alan’s hand tightened around his again. Virgil squeezed his brother’s smaller fingers. “It will be okay.” A second and he was pulling his little brother down into a one-armed hug. “It will be okay.”

The younger man submitted to the awkward embrace and Virgil hoped it provided even a little reassurance. He couldn’t help but feel he was lying through his teeth. Kay was out there. His Kay.

Alan pulled away suddenly. “Virgil? What did you say?”

“Huh?” His eyelids dropped of their own accord again and he had to force them up to look at his brother. He let out a breath. God, he hated this.

“Don’t sweat it, bro. We’ve all seen it before. You is a dopey dog on da drugs.” Gordon’s grin split his face and spoke of blackmail material stocked up for the next decade.

“Shut up, Gordon.”

The doctor was standing to one side her gaze bouncing from one brother to another as the by-play jumped about the room. “I think we should probably let these two rest.”

Virgil frowned again. “Where is Grandma?”

-o-o-o-

Sally glared at Val Casey. “I thought we had an agreement.”

“Sal, don’t push it. This was unexpected and we are doing our best to remedy the situation.”

“I know it has been some time since I wore the uniform, but this does not appear to be a remedy.”

Casey sighed. “The threat uncovered by John negates moving your family immediately. That conversation led to the Network. Do you know what that means? There is enough money behind this to take out the entirety of Tracy Island and half the South Pacific with it. These bastards have their fingers in everything. International Rescue is not the only issue currently at hand.”

“International Rescue is not an ‘issue’, Val. They are my family.”

“I know!” The woman bit her lip. “They’ve angered the wrong people, Sal. People with power. You know the deal. You fought them for years.”

A sigh. Damn it, she did know it. “I had thought I had left that all behind.”

“Unfortunately, assholes in power are a worldwide phenomenon.” The colonel sighed again and put her hand on Sally’s shoulder. “Sal, Kayo is out there. We have the information John dug up. She will find the connection between Polominka and the assassin. He will go down. The boys will be safe.”

Sally straightened shrugging off the other woman’s hand from her shoulder. “How? You said it yourself, this goes beyond Polominka. The man’s an idiot, but he has lit a fire. He’s obviously thrown money at the right people to get what he wants done, done. You need to kill this and kill it now.” She glared. “And I find it very interesting that despite everything we still have to dig ourselves out of this. Where the hell is Rigby?”

“Rigby is on it.”

“He better be or Penelope will have him. She and Parker are not any happier than I am.”

“I have no doubt.”

“You promised, Val. You signed the agreement. The damned world government signed the agreement. International Rescue operates to save lives. All you have to do is protect six so they can do what they need to do.”

“I know that, Sally. Believe me, I do.”

“Well, prove it or I will do it myself.”

Brown eyes caught hers. “That will not be necessary.”

“I define ‘necessary’, Val, and believe me, I will follow through if ‘necessary’. I’m not completely out of the game, I have contacts.”

“Sal-“

“No.” She held up a hand. “This is my family, Colonel.” She spat the rank. “I will do what I have to do.”

“Very well.” But the woman’s lips were thinned with displeasure. “Rigby will be in contact.”

“I can’t wait.” Sally turned. stalked out of the room and slammed the door.

She had grandchildren to attend to.

-o-o-o-

Every town had a place like this. An establishment tucked into a corner, hidden in an alleyway. The graffiti on the door was stylised, a little too stylised to be the real thing, planted like the paint over one of the windows and the scratching that had half peeled it off.

It was an ‘in’ place, a trendy drinking spot that claimed to be one thing while actually being completely another. It tried to look rough, low on the IQ scale, but was actually smart in all the dark places.

The sign above the sill said ‘O’Connors’ in roman letters. Beside it was a spray-painted Japanese scrawl that basically said ‘All comers’.

Kayo stepped through the door; her tight jeans low on her hips. Her equally high cut shirt left her navel to sparkle in the dim light, her emerald piercing a silent reminder of why she was here and the man she needed to protect.

And what would that man say if he could see her now? Her dark hair was now a deep red, plaits mixed with ringlets cascading over her shoulders. Her eyes were pale blue and she wore dark green lipstick to match her long green nails. She was a sight that might have set Virgil laughing or lusting. She wasn’t sure which.

Aiden was already in the bar. An unassuming bearded individual faking one too many drinks over in the far corner. Jo would be entering two minutes after her, pink in her hair and hanging off Chu as if he was the love of her life. The two definitely had a relationship, but it was one of sparring rivalry that often led to bruises.

This was Kayo’s front-line team. Three trusted friends who had trained with her, known her and her father for a long time. They were IR security before there was an IR.

She called them in the moment Virgil was safe.

Walking up to the drink service, she asked politely in Japanese for a mineral water and once delivered, she holed up at a table in a dim corner and awaited her contact.

Exactly two minutes later, Chu and Jo laughed through the door and planted themselves on the far side of the room going all out and ordering a meal.

The room was full of people.

Most appeared to be locals, some were definitely not. Japanese outnumbered other peoples, but there were still a fair few westerners dotted amongst the crowd.

She waited, eyeing her phone.

Three men entered the establishment several minutes after her friends. A split-second assessment summed them up as dangerous. The man in the middle scanned the crowd, his eyes brushing across her as if she was nothing of interest.

She wanted to be nothing of interest.

“Kim?” The young woman who sat down opposite her was not what she expected. White blonde hair, porcelain Japanese complexion. A small tattoo of a bird high up on one cheek. “You are looking for someone?” Flawless Japanese as expected, but the smile on her face was suspect.

“I am.”

“I could be your someone.” Her tongue brushed over her lips as she smiled.

“And you are?”

She shrugged. “Useful.” A pause. “You GDF?”

“Of a kind.”

“The bad kind?” The smile turned smug.

“Depends who you speak to.”

“Oh, I’ve spoken to a lot of people.” Again with the smile. “Some say you’re not GDF. Some say you are worth so much more.”

Kayo frowned. “Some people have no idea what they are talking about.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.” The woman leant back and her smile growing more confident by the moment. “Why’d you come here?”

“I need Network access and what I can offer in return is to your benefit.”

The woman leant forward. “Do tell me, what can you offer me, Ms Kayo Kyrano?”

She didn’t blink, but her heart sank. “At this point, that is entirely up to you.”

“Kayo, get out of there now.” John’s voice was little more than a whisper in her ear, but she couldn’t agree more. This end was a dead one.

The woman’s eyes sparkled. “So, you are open to negotiation?”

Kayo kept a straight face. “What are you offering?”

That sickly smile turned into a grin, her tongue teased between her teeth. “Oh, your boyfriend. Word is he is worth a lot of money...dead.”

Do not react.

John yelled in her ear. “Kayo, there is movement in the alley behind, get out of there!”

Aiden had climbed to his feet and was wobbling between tables, a haphazard trajectory that no doubt would end up in her lap before he made it to the bar.

Useful sighed and raised a single finger.

Aiden collapsed where he stood. Several people gasped, crowding around him.

“You don’t really think we wouldn’t identify your companions, did you?” On the far side Jo and Chu were limp at their table. Dead or unconscious, Kayo did not know. How?

“Ms Kyrano, did you think a history with your petty criminal uncle put you in the big league? This was far too easy.” The woman leant back and crossed her legs. A finger toyed with her lips. “Far too easy. I do hope your dear Virgil is more of a foe or this could just get boring.”

Kayo stared at her, her calm slowly beginning to crack.

The woman waved her hand. “Take her.”

Something bit Kayo in the neck, and the world went dark.

-o-o-o-

End Part Six.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title: The Bellini Incident  
> Part Seven  
> Author: Gumnut  
> 28 Apr 2019  
> Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS  
> Rating: Teen  
> Summary: Kayo was going to kill him.  
> Word count: 3657  
> Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Virgil!whump with a side order of Scott!whump.  
> Timeline: Standalone, not Rain Series.  
> Author’s note: For @soniabigcheese who threw the prompt at me, and @i-am-chidorixblossom who suggested some Virgil whump. Scott got a bit whumped, too, I’m branching out as a writer, blame @scribbles97.(And thanks to her for the read throughs :D )  
> The prompt: The character who doesn’t realize they’ve been hurt trying to see if everyone else is okay only to slowly realize that everyone is looking at them with mounting horror. Then they touch their side to find it’s wet and oh no…  
> I have been dropping hints about one of the characters in this story for the last couple of chapters. For those of you who have read Gentle Rain you might have recognised her. For those of you who haven’t I hope I’m sketching her character out well. If not, Gentle Rain might be worth the read as in this chapter she comes to the fore. It should also be noted that while I’m using the character from Gentle Rain, she is an alternate timeline version as this is not a Gentle or Warm Rain fic. So, things are very different, though I hope the core of her character is the same. This is me actioning an idea proposed by @lightning1999 and I hope she enjoys it along with everyone else.  
> Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

John stared at his tablet. His heart was breaking ribs. “Kayo?” His voice was little more than a whisper, but regardless, he knew he wasn’t going to get an answer.

Her tracker was moving out into the alley. “Eos, get down there. Don’t let her out of your sight.” It was supposed to be simple. Just a contact. Just a hint of connection to the Network. How had they known?

John had holed up in the room next door to Virgil and Scott’s. Besides him it was empty.

So empty.

His breathing matched his heart rate.

“Gordon.”

His younger brother was next door keeping an eye on both the eldest and the youngest. Alan had taken yesterday’s events very hard and fallen asleep in the chair beside Virgil, his hand still holding onto his sleeping older brother as if he was scared the man would disappear on him.

Kayo’s tracker was moving across the map. Eos was following.

“Gordon.”

The door opened and John jumped, but it was only the aquanaut. “What’s up, bro? Scott and Virg are still asleep. Alan’s snoring.” A grin. “I have video.”

“Gordon. They’ve got Kayo.”

His brother immediately sobered. “What? Who?” He hurried over to peer at the map.

“Unknown.”

“What do you mean ‘unknown’? What happened?”

“She went to meet with one of her contacts. They didn’t show, but someone else did. Aiden, Jo and Chu are not answering. Kayo...they took her. Eos is on it.”

“Took her?” It was as if his brother couldn’t compute the concept. “How the hell?”

John swallowed. “Apparently they knew she was coming.” The security breach leading to that issue gaped open in his mind.

“We need to get her back. I’ll wake Scott.”

John grabbed his arm and pinned those brown eyes with his own. “Don’t wake Virgil.”

Gordon’s eyes widened just slightly as the effect of Kayo’s capture on his second oldest brother sunk in. “He’s going to want to know where she is.”

“He can’t know. Not yet.”

Thinned lips. “I’ll grab Scott.”

John let him go and he ran from the room.

His eyes returned to the blip on the map that was his little sister.

Shit.

-o-o-o-

Doctor Em Harris was tired.

It had been a long day, the third in a row, and this was the first that she had seen of her apartment in over sixty-five hours. Her aching feet dragged her through the door.

The cause of this extended work period was the Tracy brothers. International Rescue, myth on a stick. It was pure chance she had been on ER duty when Thunderbird Two landed on the hospital’s front lawn, and the events that followed swept her up in their momentum. A directive from the hospital director, the GDF, and the leader of International Rescue...and her two sole medical cases were now Scott and Virgil Tracy.

Men and myths blurred.

Apparently, myths bled as red as men. She sighed. The brothers were close knit, that much she could tell. She hardly knew them, but part of her warmed to their banter. Obviously, they all cared deeply for each other. The youngest, Alan, reminded her of her little brother, Jeth. Both a sweet and heart-breaking thought. Before his paralysis, before the tsunami that had taken so much.

The sister had gone absolutely ballistic after the assassination attempt. Em had found her pacing the corridor outside Virgil’s room, fury in her step. A moment of hesitation, a bitten lip and Em had interrupted that pace. “Ms Kyrano, Virgil will heal. There is no permanent damage.”

Green eyes had snapped to her, mistrust at the fore. This was a woman who had been hurt in the past. Em could understand that, but underneath it all was guilt.

Guilt could be a killer.

She said nothing.

Em drew in a breath. “If there is anything I can do for you, just ask. Even if it is just an ear for listening. It can help.”

Those eyes simply stared her down. Still she said nothing and Em had the distinct feeling she was under an x-ray machine, her innards being examined for threat.

“Okay?”

Smooth voice. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

But Ms Kyrano had disappeared shortly after and she hadn’t seen her since.

Now Em was home to grab some fresh clothing and was due back at the hospital in fifteen minutes.

She closed the front door behind her, dropped her keys on the table in the hallway and strode through to her bedroom.

There was a man sitting on her bed.

She froze for just a moment, enough to see him smile in the dim light, before spinning and making a dash for the front door.

She almost made it.

An arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her from her feet.

She screamed and kicked.

“Woo hoo, you are a feisty-“

Her elbow hit facial bone. A strangled gurgle cut off the man’s snark and his hold loosened. Slamming a heel into his shin, she shoved her other elbow into his gut. A gasp and she was free and moving.

“You bitch!”

The door handle was in her hand when cold metal rammed into her neck.

She froze, a whimper on her breath.

“You’ll pay for that. Trust me, you will. Maybe not now, but definitely later.” He grabbed her hair and dragged her back from the door. “Now, Emaline, we need to have a little chat about Virgil Tracy and your little brother. One needs to die, which would you prefer?”

-o-o-o-

Scott Tracy had the ability to go from deep sleep to fully awake in a split second. It was a skill that was both useful and annoying.

This time it was useful.

Gordon’s touch had him peering up at worried red-brown eyes, his strawberry-blond brother gesturing silently, a finger on his lips. A glance around the room explained why. Alan was curled up asleep in the chair beside Virgil’s bed, his older brother’s fingers still in his hand. Virgil was on his side facing both of them, a frown furrowing his brow despite his quiet breathing.

The room was dim and quiet.

Gordon’s gestures were urgent.

Sitting up gingerly, Scott tested his equilibrium, hoping the vertigo that had plagued him since the incident was waning. A flicker of lights at the edge of his vision, but other than that he seemed fairly stable. The headache, he could ignore.

Gordon grabbed his arm as his feet softly touched the floor, shoved his dressing gown into his arms and urged him from the room.

The IR security officers outside the door raked him with their eyes. Scott tried to smile a little, but Gordon dragged him to the next room along.

“What the hell, Gordon?”

“We have a situation.”

Scott’s spine automatically straightened at John’s voice, illness forgotten. “Report.”

John was short, sharp and to the point.

Scott did not react, but that was only due to experience. “Do you have her status?”

“She’s alive. Eos has been able to hack one of the phones in the vehicle and turn on the camera.” A video of their sister limp on a backseat, from an awkward angle, but clear enough to see her breathing. It shook with the movement of the car, obviously being held offhandedly by someone sharing the seat with her. “Other than that, I’ve got her subcutaneous tracker and her collar comms.”

“Can you turn them on from here? Receive only?”

John muttered something. A moment later and the sounds of soft breathing and a vehicle in motion.

“Where is Thunderbird Shadow?”

“Airport. She was undercover, but wanted to have her ‘bird available if she needed it.”

“I need it.”

John turned to stare at him. “What?”

“I’m going to go and get her. Any idea where they are headed?”

“Out of the city, apparently, they’re on the freeway heading towards Tokyo.” He stared up at his brother. “Scott, you’ve got a severe concussion. You shouldn’t be flying.”

“That’s why Gordon is coming with me.” Blue eyes darted towards the aquanaut.

Something flickered in Gordon’s eyes and a grim smile curved his lips. “Hell, yeah.”

John stared up at them. “What about Colonel Casey?”

Scott’s lips thinned. “What about her? We’re wasting time. Call TBS and land her on the roof. I need my uniform.”

“What if they’re armed?! Scott-“

“Get the information. I will do what is necessary.”

“Scott-“

“Do you want to be the one to tell Virgil his ‘Kay’ has been captured?”

John opened his mouth, but shut it again. “You could be injured or killed!”

“Sounds like the average rescue to me.”

“The average rescue isn’t armed and criminal. Call in the GDF.”

“I don’t trust the GDF. Certainly not with a Tracy.” Scott straightened. “Keep it from Virgil as long as you can.”

 John’s glare could have stripped paint. “What do I tell him?”

“Think of something, just keep him in that bed.”

“What, like I should be doing for you?”

Scott returned the glare. “Get me the information I need.” He turned away from his middle brother, sorry to be so harsh, but needing to move.

His head reminded him that it wasn’t happy about anything.

Two minutes later, Commander Scott Tracy left the room wearing a three-day old dirty uniform ignoring the dried flakes of his brother’s blood that he had been unable to brush off.

This had gone far enough.

-o-o-o-

Her fingers shook as she shut her locker, the bruise on the back of her hand where the bastard had wrenched her arm behind her back was turning black. She flexed her fingers desperate to dull the ache but only made it worse.

She was asked to kill Virgil Tracy or they would kill her little brother. The whole concept just broke everything dear to her.

Jeth, paralysed from the waist down and brain injured in the tsunami that killed her parents, was currently in medical care across the other side of the city. He was the entire reason she was in Japan at all. Nagoya held the most eminent specialist in the field of neuroscience. There was hope her brother could recover some of his faculties with continued treatment. It cost, but she didn’t care. She would do anything to see him better. To see him smile.

Anything.

She leant her forehead against the cold metal of the locker and tried not to cry.

Virgil Tracy did nothing but try to save people. Sure, International Rescue had been involved in the tsunami, but it hadn’t been their fault.

Not their fault.

Any more than this was.

A tear tracked down her cheek.

She had the ability to kill. She had spent her life fighting death, it wouldn’t be hard to let it win.

Another tear fell to the floor.

What was she going to do?

An image of the brothers bantering waltzed through her head. How could she possibly be considering this? How could she?

The last few years had been hard. She had lost her parents and her brother had needed so much care. So much.

She had been burning the candle at both ends for so long, she had forgotten what having a life was like. The last three days had been strenuous, but the ability to focus on just two patients and give them all the care they needed had been a pleasant contrast to the usual chaos of patient after patient that general ER and surgery tended to be.

Three days and she was caring for the Tracy brothers more than she should be.

And Alan was so much like Jeth.

Mr Scott Tracy. Eyes the colour of the ocean she so loved and hadn’t seen for so long. He seemed kindly. He was the leader. What if she told him? Could he help? Or would it doom her brother to death?

She wanted to scream.

Straightening, she squared her shoulders. She had twenty-four hours. A monitored twenty-four hours. He said they were watching.

Watching.

With a gun pointed at her brother’s head.

She would kill herself if it would solve anything.

It wouldn’t.

She wished it would.

With her heart in shreds she stepped into the elevator that would take her to the ward protecting her patients.

She didn’t expect one of them to be waiting for the lift when it arrived.

For a moment she was floored. Scott Tracy in uniform was a sight to behold. The determination on his face was a physical thing strong enough to plough through anything in his way. But more than a glance and she could see how pale he was, how stiff he was holding himself, the dirt on the uniform.

And she realised he was wearing the same clothes he had arrived in. Her memory of him clinging to Virgil in the ship’s medical bay, drenched in blood, was one etched into her brain and destined to join her for life.

“Where are you going?”

He blinked as if he hadn’t expected the question. “I’m needed.”

“You have a concussion. You need to be in bed.”

“Life isn’t perfect.”

God, that was the truth. “You can’t leave.”

Those eyes pinned her where she stood. “I do what I have to do.” His brow furrowed. “Are you okay?”

And she realised that her face probably wasn’t at its best. “I’m fine.” She forced her lips into a firm line desperate to hide her tremble.

His frown deepened. “Have you been crying?”

He was observant.

“I received some bad news.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” He shifted his helmet from one hand to the other. “Look after yourself.”

An attempted small smile. “I will.” She reached out and placed her hand on his arm. “You should, too.”

Scott bit his lip and looked down before catching her gaze again. “I have to go. I’m sorry.”

Her mouth tightened, knowing she had no hope of stopping him. “Then come back safe.”

“I’m planning on it.” A breath. “Please excuse me.” He stepped around her and into the lift. A small smile as he turned back to look at her as the doors closed.

And he was gone.

-o-o-o-

Virgil woke groggy and hot.

Hot was not a good thing. That was the first fact to register. The second was a parched throat.

He had obviously been lying in the same position for some time as everything was aching and stiff. Of course, his left side was a mass of nasty nerve signals he really didn’t want to acknowledge, but even his right arm creaked as he tried to move to motivate his circulation.

He didn’t expect the hand that was entangled with his.

“Alan?”

His brother shifted, startled out of sleep. “Wha-? Oh god.” Just watching him, Virgil could feel his bones creaking. He knew from experience just how painful sleeping in a hospital chair could be. Alan folded himself, his elbows landing on his knees, his head in his hands. “Somebody put me out of my misery.”

“Ask Gordon, I’m sure he will oblige.”

“What the hell is wrong with your voice?”

“Water, Alan?”

“Oh.”

His little brother staggered to his feet, grabbed the jug and cup from the bed table, poured the liquid and handed it to Virgil.

Cool, clear and wonderful. In hospital, it was definitely the little things. Breathed out. “Thank you.”

“How’re you feeling?”

“Hot.”

Alan reached out and touched his forehead. “Shit, Virg, you’ve got a fever. I’ll go grab the doc.”

“Ala-“ But he was already gone.

Virgil sighed back into the bed.

One positive was the fog from the medication seemed to have cleared somewhat. Pain? Some, but manageable for the moment.

Alan returned with the doctor from yesterday. Virgil frowned. She was still all dark hair and pale skin, but she was flushed and she looked worried.

“Alan says you are burning up.” She pulled out a thermometer and poked him in the ear before he could answer. “Thirty-eight point five. I would definitely call that a fever, Mr Tracy. Let me see your wounds.”

What followed was gentle, but necessarily painful. The strongest suspect for infection was the scalpel wound in his side. It was no real surprise considering the stress he had put it through. The doctor finished off with some general obs and settled him back against the pillows.

“An extra course of antibiotics should nip that in the bud. Give me a minute and I’ll go grab some supplies.” She turned and left.

Alan looked lost.

“Go and get yourself something to eat, Alan.”

“It’s the middle of the night!”

“If you’ve been sitting there since I was last awake, you missed at least one meal. Go eat.”

“You sure? I don’t want to leave you alone.”

Virgil sighed. “I’m fine. There are two guards outside. The doctor will be here in a moment. If you are concerned, go find Scott and tell him to get his ass back to bed. Where the hell is he anyway? In fact, your mission is to go and find the escapee and escort him back here. Grab some food while you’re at it.”

“Yes, sir!” The mock salute was just that touch ridiculous and his brother smiled. “Won’t be long.”

“Don’t hurry, I’ll be fine.”

Alan held up two hands in defence. “Okay, okay, I’m going.” He waltzed pass the doctor as she walked back in, hands full of an IV bag and intravenous needles.

Great.

She was efficient and professional and within a matter of minutes, there were some cold yet hot fluids dripping into his blood stream. He took another sip of his water and lay back, doing his best to try and relax.

He was quite surprised when the doctor didn’t leave immediately.

She packed up her supplies neatly and placed them on Scott’s bed table. Turning she straightened and her pale eyes caught his. Her face was flushed again and her expression twisted him inside. There was pain there, and regret.

“Doctor?”

“You’re a good man, aren’t you?”

He blinked. Huh? “As good as any? I’m far from perfect, but I do try to do the right thing?” A slight frown. “Why?”

“I...” She bit her lip and, to his consternation, tears appeared in her eyes. “I just...need you to be worth it.”

“Worth what?”

Her face crumpled and she turned away, her face in her hands. Muffled. “I’m sorry.”

“Doctor Harris, what is wrong?” He pushed the button to raise the back of the bed as far up as it would go and with a gasp and a grimace, pushed his legs around and off the edge of the bed.

He was so damned hot.

“What are you doing? Get back into bed!”

He glared up at her. “Not until you tell me what is wrong.”

She took a step back. “I...”

“Emaline, is it?”

Her voice was small. “Just Em.”

“Just Em. Something has upset you. Is there anything I can do?”

“Oh god, why?” And she was crying, her whole body shaking.

He couldn’t reach her without standing up and to be honest, he didn’t feel that was advisable in his condition unless he wanted to get intimate with the floor. His side was yelling at him enough already. “Em.”

She looked up, her face swollen, her eyes desperate. A moment and she was in front of him, tears ignored, doctor to the fore. “Mr Tracy, lie back down.” Her hand touched his right shoulder urging him to comply.

“Not until you tell me why you are upset. Apparently, it involves me somehow. What is wrong?”

Expressions of worry, fear, guilt and sadness flickered across her face before it settled into one of resignation. She looked down at her hands and he reached out, clasping her arm gently.

“A problem shared is a problem halved.”

A pain-filled laugh sputtered forth and the tears welled again. “Mr Tracy, you have no idea.”

“It’s Virgil. And if you tell me, then I will.”

She stared at him. “You are worth it, aren’t you.” Another tear trickled down her cheek and she swallowed. “I’m so sorry. So, so sorry.”

“Em?”

She straightened just slightly, looking past him as if to gain strength from the air around her. “Do you remember the tsunamis in Indonesia nearly four years ago?”

Remember? How could he forget? The Hood had set off a series of artificial seaquakes all along the Pacific Rim causing several tsunamis that had taken thousands of lives.

All in the hope of gaining access to the Thunderbirds.

“I can see in your expression that you do, and I know why. The Hood wanted your equipment, didn’t he?”

“Yes.” Virgil’s voice was little more than a rasp.

“And you couldn’t give it to him, could you.”

He breathed it out. “No.”

“My parents died in the southern tsunami, they were in a hotel lobby, ground floor. The building collapsed on them. My brother was higher up. Somehow, he managed to survive, but he was severely injured. It is likely he will never walk again.” A drawn in breath that strangled to a sob. “But he also sustained a brain injury. I’m...We’re in Nagoya for treatment. There is hope...” And she was crying again.

“I’m sorry, Em, for your loss.” It hurt. It always would. The mantra of ‘you can’t save them all’ marched around his head. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Oh god!” She turned away. “Why the hell? How can they possibly want you dead?”

He froze, his heart missing a beat. “Em?”

“They want me to kill you, Virgil.”

“What?!” He shuffled just a little bit further back on the bed. The corner of his eye caught the door, his hand reached for his comms.

The IV pulled at his skin.

She spun around. “They are going to kill my brother. If I don’t kill you, my little Jeth is going to die.”

-o-o-o-

End Part Seven.

 


End file.
